Global InformationUnited Methodist Church information
| United Methodist Church | |
|---|---|
 The United Methodist Church "cross and flame" emblem | |
| Abbreviation | UMC |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Methodist and United Brethren |
| Theology | Wesleyan |
| Polity | Connexionalism[1] |
| President | Thomas James Bickerton III[2] |
| President Designate | Tracy Malone[3] |
| Secretary | L. J. Holston[4] |
| Annual conferences | 132 |
| Episcopal areas | 66 |
| Associations | World Council of Churches Churches Uniting in Christ Christian Churches Together National Council of Churches Wesleyan Holiness Consortium Christian Holiness Partnership World Methodist Council |
| Founder | John Wesley[5][6] (spiritually) |
| Origin | 1968 |
| Merger of | The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church |
| Separations | New Methodist Conference (2005) Ang Iglesia Metodista sa Pilipinas (2011) Global Methodist Church (2022) |
| Congregations | 39,460 (29,746 in the US)[7] |
| Members | 9,984,925[7] (5,424,175 in the US[8]) |
| Ministers | 83,800 |
| Aid organization | United Methodist Committee on Relief |
| Secondary schools | 10 |
| Tertiary institutions | 109 |
| Official website | umc.org |
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant[9] denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelicalism. The present denomination was founded in 1968 in Dallas, Texas, by union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley in England, as well as the Great Awakening in the United States.[6][10] As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan.[11] It embraces liturgical worship, holiness, and evangelical elements.[12][13][14][15]
The United Methodist Church has a connectional polity, a typical feature of a number of Methodist denominations. It is organized into conferences. The highest level is called the General Conference and is the only organization which may speak officially for the UMC. The church is a member of the World Council of Churches, the World Methodist Council, and other religious associations.
As of 2022, the UMC had 5,424,175 members[8] and 29,746 churches in the United States.[7] As of 2022, it had 9,984,925 members and 39,460 churches worldwide.[7] In 2015, the Pew Research Center estimated that 3.6 percent of the US population, or nine million adult adherents, identified with the United Methodist Church, revealing a much larger number of adherents than registered members.[16]
On January 3, 2020, a group of Methodist leaders proposed a plan to split the United Methodist Church over issues of sexual orientation (particularly same-sex marriage) and create a new traditionalist Methodist denomination.[17][18][19] The Global Methodist Church was formed in 2022.[20] Prior to the establishment of the Global Methodist Church, some Methodist congregations had already left the UMC to join the Free Methodist Church, a traditionalist Methodist denomination aligned with the Wesleyan-holiness movement.[21][22] As of December 30, 2023, the number of UMC churches in the United States that were approved for disaffiliation stood at 7,660. This figure represented approximately one-quarter of the UMC churches in the United States.[23][24]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Robert Leroy Wilson, Steve Harperwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Council of Bishops (COB) Office (November 3, 2021). "Bishop Bickerton elected as next president of UMC Council of Bishops". unitedmethodistbishops.org. COB Office. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ COB Office (April 29, 2022). "Bishop Tracy Smith Malone". unitedmethodistbishops.org. COB Office. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ Dr. Maidstone Mulenga, Director of Communications (April 29, 2022). "Bishop L. Jonathan Holston". unitedmethodistbishops.org. COB Office. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ "The United Methodist Church". University of Virginia. Archived from the original on August 4, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
UMCofWBwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d "United Methodists At-A-Glance". United Methodist Communications. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "Statistics for 2022". General Council on Finance and Administration – The United Methodist Church. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ "Mainline Denominations". The Association of Religion Data Archives. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Methodist Central Hall Westminster—Methodismwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Longhenry-Wesleyanismwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
UMC-Evangelicalwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
EPPCwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Oden, Thomas C. (April 5, 2016). The Rebirth of African Orthodoxy. Abingdon Press. p. 21. ISBN 9781501819100.
The growth of United Methodism abroad, especially in Africa, is already coming to exercise increasing influence in the American church. ... In Africa UMC churches are full. People walk for miles to hear their preaching. At the current rates, United Methodists in Africa may outnumber church members in the U.S. within a decade or so. ... It is likely that early African Christian wisdom will increasingly influence the curriculum of African seminaries, which currently are biblically evangelical, morally earnest, and service oriented.
- ^ Winn, Christian T. Collins (2007). From the Margins: A Celebration of the Theological Work of Donald W. Dayton. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 115. ISBN 9781630878320.
In addition to these separate denominational groupings, one needs to give attention to the large pockets of the Holiness movement that have remained within the United Methodist Church. The most influential of these were the circles dominated by Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary (both in Wilmore, KY), but one could speak of other colleges, innumerable local campmeetings, the vestiges of various local Holiness associations, independent Holiness oriented missionary societies and the like that have had great impact within United Methodism. A similar pattern existed in England with the role of Cliff College within Methodism in that context.
- ^ "Religious Landscape Study". pewforum.org. Pew Research. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Key Bishops and Advocacy Group Leaders Propose Plan of Separation". Wesleyan Covenant Association. January 2, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Miller2022was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Hahn, Heather (February 8, 2022). "Church disaffiliations, court cases mount". United Methodist News Service. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- ^ Taylor, Scott (March 4, 2020). "Free Methodists think UMC split could help them grow: Dating from days of slavery, splinter church against 'changing rules to fit their needs'". Northglenn Thornton Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- ^ Kate Shellnutt, Daniel Silliman, United Methodists Down 7,659 Churches As Exit Window Ends, christianitytoday.com, USA, December 18, 2023
- ^ United Methodist News, Disaffiliations approved by annual conferences, UMnews.org, USA, viewed Dec. 30, 2023.